Happy Mother's Day

I got into a lot of trouble as a kid. Not the cherry-bomb-in-the-toilet, goldfish-up-the-nose kind of trouble, but class clown trouble. My parents (paying good money for Catholic school) were not nearly as amused as my classmates. The irony of being punished by my mother for these infractions was that she is mostly to blame for my sense of humor. I've always regarded my mom as a glorious contradiction and someone who defies convention at every turn. She's a devout Catholic who ignores the pettiness of Bible-thumping, instead choosing spiritual growth over dogma. She has overcome life-threatening adversity with an unwavering optimism that still eludes my grasp. Since my dad was diagnosed last year, that glass-half-full perspective has kept my dad healthy and the rest of the family hopeful. She's funny as hell, too. Some of the most subversive humor I've created professionally has been inspired by her. Children naturally want to make their parents proud. I've always been proud to have a mother worth emulating.

Here's to the moms.